Container forming device



June 17, 1941. R. H. VAN SAUN ETAL CONTAINER FORMING DEVICE Filed Sept.19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 All! 45 .52 (Jeni arms:

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June 17, 1941.

R. H. VAN SAUN ET AL CONTAINER FORMING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICERaymond H. Van Saun, Chicago, and John L.

Ferguson and Reese Treharne, Joliet, 111., assignors to ContainerCorporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation of DelawareApplication September 19, 1940, Serial No. 357,390

6 Claims. (Q1. 93--55.1)

The present invention relates to container forming devices and moreparticularly to mechanism for insertion of closure members within theopen ends of containers.

One object of the invention is to provide a convenient and effectivemeans for inserting flat closure members or discs into open ends ofcollapsible type containers for which the closures are adapted.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for effectivelycentering or registering a closure element or disc with the open end of'a container, such means including yielding or displaceable elementsadapted to supporta closure in one position and adapted to allow passageof the closure into position within the end of the container when thedisplaceable elements are brought into contact with the inner portionsof the container.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view,partly in section, illustrating themechanism for inserting closures into containers with a tubularcontainer or drum shown in position toreceive a closure;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section, illustrating theadaptation of the s'up-" porting base for supporting proper position adrum-type container that has had one of its ends previously closed bysecuring a plurality of tabs to a closure disc;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken along line 4--4 ofFig. 1, certain parts The present invention as hereindisclosedc'omprises a supporting base with superstructure for supporting acontainer and also for supporting a closure for the container inposition so that the closure may be inserted or forced into the open endof the container, the parts being preferably so related and arrangedthat the closurewill be brought automatically into proper registeringposition with respect to the container during the process of moving theclosure into its final position within the end of the container.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the closure inserting mechanism, as herein disclosed, comprises asupporting base, indicated as La whole at It), upon which is secured anupright frame H, preferably of inverted U-shape. The mechanism is hereinillustrated with a paperboard container l2 in the form of a cylindricaldrum having tabs [3, l3 at its open ends adapted to be secured to thesurfaces of top and bottom closures l4 and I5 which are hereinillustrated as being in the form of circular discs. The closuresaresupported by supporting members indicated as a whole at l6 which, in thepresent instance, comprises a plurality of displaceable closuresupporting finger elements IL'Il supported in an annular frame 18carried by the frame ll.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the closure indicated at M is placed so thatits edge portions rest on the upper surfaces l9, IQ of the fingerelements ll. Depending upon the Weight of the closure elements, whichwill in ordinary cases be of approximately the same or comparableweights, the

finger elements are mounted and arranged within the annular frame [8 sothat no appreciable displacement of the finger elements will be causedmerely by placing the container closure on the finger elements,

The finger elements I1, I are arrangedto be displaced when pressure isapplied upon the closure [4 resting thereupon. The effect of pressure isto displace the finger elements down wardly and outwardly, as indicatedin Fig. 6, so

as to permit the closure to move entirely past the ends of the fingerelement and into the upper end of a drum in position on the supportingbase.

For the purpose of forcing the closure past the finger elements there isprovided a plunger-or follower member indicated as a whole at 2| hav inga head portion 22 secured on the lower end of a shaft 23 mounted insuitable openings in transverse frame members, 25, forming a part bf theupright frame I l. The shaft 23 is mounted concentrically with themounting of the finger [8 so as to bring the plunger head 22 downsubstantially symmetrically upon the closure I4 and thus cause thefinger elements to be uniformly displaced, as

members I! in the annular frame best illustrated in Fig. 5. In practiceit is preferable to have the follower of a diameter slightly less thanthat of the closure.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the follower head is of concave shape so thatthe contact between the follower and the closure will be limited to anarea extending a short distance inwardly from the edge portions of theclosure. Due to this provision, the closure is free to flex somewhatupwardly as in a case where the closure fits quite snugly into thecontainer.

The follower head 22 may be forced downwardly by any suitable mechanismoperated by hand or motor power. The means for downward-- ly moving theshaft 23 comprises an outwardly projecting rod 26 secured to the shaft23. A downward pull on the rod 26 will cause downward movement of theshaft 23. For the purpose of limiting the vertical movement of the shaft23 there is provided a stop element 21 which may be adjustably securedto the shaft by means of a set screw 28.

Means are provided for moving the plunger element 22 to raised orinoperative position after it has been lowered to force a closureelement within the upper part of a drum. This means preferably includesa block 29 arranged to be adjustably secured to the shaft 23 by a setscrew 30, and connected to the block 29 are spring members 3|, 3| havingtheir upper ends secured to'the top of the frame member 24 and theirlower ends secured to pins 32, 32 extending from the block 29.

The preferred manner of mounting the finger elements on the annularframe |8 is to secure on the under side thereof a plurality of downwardprojecting yokes 34, 34, provided with openings to receive pins. 35, 35which pass through openings in the finger elements 1.

The rear end portions 36 of the finger elements are. preferably in theform of counterweight sections which are sufficiently heavy to cause thereduced ends of the finger elements to normally assume the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 5. It is desirable to stop the upwardmovement of the reduced ends of the finger elements short of ahorizontal position and for this purpose the annular frame I8 isprovided with a. downwardly extending flange portion 31 serving to forma contact edge for the upper surfaces of the finger elements and servingalso to guide the closure element into position.

The finger elements |1, |1 terminate at their outer ends in portions ofreduced thickness, indicated at I911. These reduced portions |9a arerelatively thin so as to enable them to fit between the edge of theclosure and the interior surface of the upstanding tabs extending fromthe ends of the drum. Thus, as the closure disc is forced into closingposition, the tabs will not be unduly forced outwardly as would be thecase if the ends of the finger elements were relatively thick.

In order to properly position the drum I2 in substantially concentricrelation with the finger elements there are preferably providedoppositely disposed guide members 40, 40 having a central portion 4|positioned fiatwise against the inner sides of the frame H and securedthereto as by means of bolts or rivets. The guide members also includedrum contacting portions 42 and 43, one of which is below and the otherabove the central portion 4|, being connected thereto by angularportions44, 44. It is to be observed that the arrangement of the guidingelements provides for free access to the drum by the hands of theoperator due to the offset arrangement of the central part 4| with thedrum contacting parts 42 and 43.

After a closure element has been introduced into one end of the drum sothat it assumes the position shown in Fig. 5, the plunger 22 is liftedand the finger elements H, il will swing to their raised positions, asindicated in full lines in Fig. 5. In this position of the fingerelements the free ends thereof will be raised above the upper edges ofthe tabs |3, |3 so that there will be no interference caused by thefinger elements in withdrawing the drum from the frame. After the drumwith one closure therein has been removed from the frame, the closure ispreferably secured in place by folding the tabs downwardly upon theouter surface of the closure and securing them in place, as by means ofstaples. A convenient machine for effecting the securing of the tabs tothe closure disc is illustrated in the co-pending application of VanSaun et al., Ser. No. 340,790, filed June 15, 1940 for Stapling machine.

The base I0 is preferably so constructed as to accommodate a. containerbefore securing either closure therein and also to accommodate the samecontainer after one closure has been secured therein. For this purpose,the base In is formed with an annular groove 45, preferably having astraight or vertical outer wall and an inclined inner wall. The purposeof the groove is to receive the downwardly extending tabs of thecontainers into which neither closure element has as yet been insertedand secured. The depth of the annular groove 45 is substantiallydetermined by the length of tab elements extending from the ends of thecontainer. The arrangement is such that when the tabs at the lower endof the container rest on the bottom of the groove 45 the upper end ofthe container will be in proper position to receive the closure discforced thereinto by the plunger 22, and, after the tabs at one end ofthe container are folded down upon the closure and secured thereto, thenthe container is inverted so that the closed end rests upon the base IDwith the folded-over tabs resting on the surface 46, the open end of thedrum will be in proper position to receive the remaining closure elementwhen same is forced thereinto by the plunger 22.

It is also to be observed that the distance between the annular frame l8and the surface 46 of the base is such that when the reduced ends of thefinger elements I! are extending downwardly with the ends in theirlowermost position, as indicated in, Fig. 6, the ends of the fingerelements will be slightly above the surface of the closure when broughtinto final position within the container. Due to this arrangement, thefinger members I! will serve to guide the closure into substantially itsfinal position, the final movement of the closure, however, causes it topass out from contact with the finger elements thereby freeing theelements to swing upwardly as soon as the plunger has been withdrawnupwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 6 to that illustrated inFig. 1.

In the use of the device of the present invention the operator willfirst place a container in position between the guides 40, 40, while theplunger and the closure supporting finger members are disposed insubstantially the position illustrated in Fig. 1. It may be stated atthis point that the device is well adapted for treating or formingcontainers of the type illustrated in the co-pending application of VanSaun, Ser. No. 320,313, filed February 23, 1940, for Container. In thisapplicaazaazsos 3 tion a form of tubular container -"or drum risdisclosed which :isad a' pted to be handled in a flat condition untilreadyioruse. If thistype of drum is to "beused with the ipresent device,the drum. will be partially expanded by hand so as to enable the tabs atone end ofthedrum tobe inserted into the groove "45, thusicausing thelower end of the drum to beihel-d ina circular condition. Due to theprovision of theguides 40,10, the upper end of thedrum will be held 'inapproximately a circular condition.

In the eventthe drum has been made collapsiblebytheformation of twoscore linesin a' body blank, as indicated in my said application, thedrum, uponbeing partially expandedbyhand will bepla'cedso thattheopposite score lines will be in contact respectivelywith the guidemembers 43, 43.

After the container has been placed in the device, "as illustratedinFig.1, the operator will next select a closuredisc of the proper sizeand willpl'ace this disc Within the annular frame l8 so that it comestorestupon the upper'su'rfaces [9 of the displaceable-finger elements 11.The follower head "22 is 'then brought down into contact with theclosure "disc, as indicated in Fig. 5, and movement of the follower iscontinued with the effect that the finger members are dis placeddownwardly so as topermit passage of the closure disc, the movementbeing continued until the disc comes to rest at the *bases of the tabsI3, 13, as illustrated in Fig. 6. By providing the container with aconcave score on its inner surface, as best illustrated in Fig. 5, theedge portionsof "theclosure disc can be forced down so as "to snap intoplace within the concave score. As previously stated, the arrangement issuch that the ends of the finger elements will extend short of the finalposition of the closure disc whereby the disc will slip oil. of the endsof the finger elements just before it reaches its final position withinthe end of the container.

After the closure has been brought into position, as just described, thefollower 22 is raised, the movement being assisted by the springs 3|. Atthe same time, the finger elements I! will return to their normalinclined position with their upper edges contacting the lower edges ofthe flange 31 of the annular frame I8, this being due to the provisionof the counterweighted portion 36 of the finger elements. The containeris now ready to be removed for the purpose of securing the flaps l3 tothe closure disc.

After one end of the container has been closed,

the container will be again placed in the device with the closed enddirected downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3. The operation of insertingthe closure disc within the other end of the container is then repeatedin the manner previously described. The container is then removed andthe remaining closure secured in place.

It is to be noted that one of the closure discs will be in the form of asolid element and the other will have a supplemental opening therein asdescribed in my co-pending application above identified.

When the device is employed in forming tubular containers or drums fromcollapsed body blanks, it is apparent that the body blank will notassume an accurately circular form before the closure discs are insertedin place. The provision of the displaceable finger elements, however,tends to cause the end of the container which is about to receive aclosure to assume a substantially cylindrical, or as in the presentinstance a circular form, due to the iiact that the finger 'elementscome into individual contact with "numerous points on the container.More specifically, they 'come in contact with the tabs l3 and, as thefollower moves downwardly, forcing the finger elements outwardly,thecontaine'r is forced into circular form. There are preferably thesame number of finger elements as there "are tabs so that there will beone finger element for'eachtab. It isalsopreierable to s'ition "thecontainers so that the *fin'ger elements will register substantiallycentrally of the tabs which they contact.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides aneffective device for inserting closure discs within the ends ofcollapsible, tubular containers or drums of formed sheet material. Theprovision of independently mounted finger elements insures the properexpansion of the container cylindrical form just prior to the insertionof the closure-discs therein, the action being such as to move the partsof the drum gently but firmly into properly curved condition sothatthere will be no danger of tear ing or otherwise mutilating the drumsduring the closure inserting process.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of theinvention, numerous changes may be made in the construction with outdeviating from. the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desiredthat thepresent embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims ratherthan to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of theinvention.

We claim:

1. A mechanism for inserting a closure within the end of a collapsibletype, cylindrical container including a plurality of spaced tabsextending from one end thereof, said mechanism comprising, incombination, a supporting base, means on the base for maintaining acylindrical container in approximate cylindrical shape, a closuresupporting member adapted to support a closure in proximity to an openend of a container on the suporting base, said closure supporting membercomprising a plurality of swingably mounted finger elements having freeend portions of reduced thickness, the finger elements being adapted tosupport the closure in one position and being adapted, when swung, tocome into contact with the inner surfaces of tabs on the container, afollower member having a head portion of comparable size and shape withthe interior of the container and adapted to contact a closure on thefinger elements and force it in a direction causing swinging of thefinger elements whereby the finger elements will tend to engage thespaced tabs on the container, bringing the end of the container, in theevent of imperfect expansion thereof, into conformity with the shape ofthe closure, the container supporting means being so positioned withrespect to the closure supporting member and so related to the length ofthe tubular containers to be employed therewith, that the followermember will cause the closure to pass out of contact with the reducedends of the finger elements just prior to forcing the closure into finalposition within the open end of the container.

2. Apparatus for inserting a closure within the end of a tubularcontainer comprising, in combination, means for supporting said tubularcontainer, a plurality of swingably mounted finge'r elements having freeend portions of reduced thickness, said finger elements being normallyurged into position whereby they are adapted to support said closure inproximity to an open end of said container and being so constructed andarranged that they are adapted to be swung outwardly into position suchthat said closure can be passed therebetween into said open end and saidfree ends come into contact with the inner surface of said container andterminate at a point just short of the desired final position of saidclosure, and means for simultaneously swinging said finger elements intocontact with said container and moving said closure from its supportedposition on said finger elements into said desired final position withinsaid container.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said finger elements aresubstantially symmetrically mounted in annular relation to thelongitudinal axis of said container.

4. Apparatus for inserting a closure within the end ofa tubularcontainer comprising, in com bination, means for supporting said tubularcontainer, a plurality of swing-ably mounted finger elements having freeend portions of reduced thickness, said finger elements being normallyurged into position whereby they are adapted to support said closure inproximity to an open end of said container and being so constructed andarranged that they are adapted to be swung outwardly into position suchthat said closure can be passed therebetween into said open end and saidfree ends come into contact with the inner surface of said container andterminate at a point just short of the desired final position of saidclosure, a follower member having a head portion adapted to contact saidclosure on said finger elements, and means for moving said followermember against said finger members toward said open end of saidcontainer until said closure is moved just beyond said free ends intosaid desired final position.

5. Apparatus for inserting a closure within the end of a substantiallycylindrical container comprising, in combination, means for supportingsaid container with an upwardly facing open end, a plurality ofswingably mounted finger elements having free end portions of reducedthickness, said finger elements being normally urged into positionwhereby they are adapted to support said closure above and in proximityto said open end and being so constructed and arranged that they areadapted to swing outwardly and downwardly into position such that saidclosure can be passed therebetween into said open end and said free endscome into contact with the inner surface of said container and terminateat a point just short of the desired final position of said closure, afollower member having a head portion with a diameter not greater thanthat of said closure, said head portion being adapted to come intocontact with said closure at least adjacent the edges thereof, and meansfor forcing said follower member downwardly until said closure haspassed said free ends and has reached said desired position.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said container-supportingmeans includes means for preventing said container from collapsing alongfold lines therein.

RAYMOND H. VAN SAUN. REESE TREHARNE. JOHN L. FERGUSON.

